the blog

In my newsletters leading up to my TEDx Talk on February 29, (Part 1 here & Part 2 here & Part 3 here), I wrote and spoke about how I applied for and was selected to do a TEDx Talk, as well as how torturous the preparation process was. Now I have a chance to share my TEDx Talk with you and give you some final thoughts about my experience.

This TEDx was sponsored by the University of Mississippi, the state’s flagship university. I’d never been to the state before, so was excited to go. Ole Miss has a lot of history, much of it around the Civil War, and exploring the campus and the town of Oxford was an education. 

Southern hospitality is no joke, but it was more than that. The entire event was organized and run by students. There were a couple of faculty advisors, but the students managed the whole thing, including recruiting sponsors, selling tickets, arranging for airport transportation and hotel rooms and organizing the rehearsals and receptions. 

So, rehearsals… you know what a nutcase I am about this aspect of the process. Turns out, the TED organization is pretty nuts about it, too. The day before, we had a dress rehearsal. An actual dress rehearsal. We had to wear our planned outfits so they could see how we looked and how they’d make sure the mics could be securely attached. That night, we received the full agenda for the day of the show.

The venue was The Ford Center, a beautiful performing arts center where it so happened Barack Obama and John McCain had held a debate. A professional video crew ran the tech including 2 or 3 cameras, lights, and sound. The settings are computerized so if they have to do something again, it’s just a push of a button, which was good because it turned out there were some technical problems with my sound. So after it was over, they had me do a couple of lines again in an empty room and all they had to do to make it so no one would ever know was to push that button to re-create the exact conditions.

The day of, call was about 2 hours prior to showtime. There was a final check where we practiced walking on stage, speaking for a minute to check sound, and walk off. We also practiced a group bow. There was a green room, where we waited (I so lucky to speak first). The students ran the backstage operations. They each wore radio units so they could talk to each other quietly. There was an emcee who warmed up the audience and introduced each speaker. Having spent my first career in show business, I really felt at home. 

There were also breaks that featured entertainment including a jazz band and a high school choir. 

Curtain was at 7:30pm and we were done by 9. The lobby reception enabled us to meet and chat with members of the audience. 

In my last report about this TEDx journey, I’d mentioned I’d put in about 150 hours since November. I’d estimate from then until the performance, I added another 50, so about 200 hours in total for a 12-minute talk! I think it was worth it.

February 29 and thereabouts was the last time things felt normal… getting on planes, staying in hotels, eating out, shaking hands with new people, hugging people I was so happy to see again or to say goodbye. So I cannot say enough about how wonderful the actual experience was and what great memories I will always have.

P.S.: Check out the other speakers, too. I didn’t even mention what an honor it was to meet and spend time with them. The playlist is here. Start with Beth Ann Fennelly, Warrick Bishop, and Areesha Razi